Kidnapped
by Aubrinaa
Summary: He cared for her. That was clear. And she cared for him. It was a fact. But it still didn’t change their stubborn dispositions. BA. Epilouge up.
1. Fights

Kidnapped

Note: Set in the future, Bobby's good with Frank again, nothing too tragic has happened in either of their personal lives. Oh, and Eames and Goren have magically not aged. It's a miracle. Also, I typed this up at like, one in the morning, and I did it really fast, and I got lazy so I didn't read it over. So, I apologize for any mistakes.

Disclaimer: If I owned, Bobby Goren would stay with me, and I would never make his mom die, or his brother be a jerk, and never have to make him go to Tates. But I don't.

After everything that had happened in the past few years, Alex knew that the last thing she should be doing was thinking about Bobby the way she was.

There was no deny that he was a good guy, though. Alex could remember vividly the time they barged in on the office of the stepfather of a victim. He pulled a gun and alternated pointing it at both of them.

"Look, you need to take the gun off my partner," Bobby kept insisting. "My partner's going to walk out of the room now." There was something about the way he was protective with her. It made her feel safe.

He was smart, too. The list of languages he could speak fluently was seemingly endless. He could get into anyone's head, easily. There was something about his wit that was charming, and it was driving Alex crazy.

But it was foolish to think that he felt the same for her. They were, above all, partners. Bobby would realize that it would be foolish to ruin that.

"We got a hold of Natalia," Goren said, approaching Eames and snapping her out of her daydream. Stupid, she thought, stupid to be fantasizing about Bobby when there was a major case to be solved. "What did she say?"

"She doesn't remember a dark-haired man sitting next to her on the phone." His brow furrowed with frustration.

"Maybe it's time we paid a visit to Natalia and see what she's hiding." Oh, those lips. Serious damage could be done with those lips. They were the kind that you imagined kissing before you went to sleep – or at least Eames did. And judging by all the looks the man got when the two of them were in public, she wasn't the only one.

After meeting with Natalia, Goren and Eames were at a dead end. All they could do now was wait to see what they could get from Harrison's interview at their desks.

"Detective Goren," Captain Ross said, coming into the desk area. "I need to see you in my office."

Bobby got up to follow him, and so did Eames. If Ross cared about her tagging along, he didn't show it.

"Detective, you've left the office early three times this week," the captain scolded.

"My brother, he's sick," Bobby explained. "He's got no one else."

"That's fine, Detective, but you also haven't handed in all your paperwork." Ross's eyes were narrowed.

"Captain," Eames said, stepping in, "I can make sure all the paperwork gets in on time."

He considered this for a moment. "Fine. But Goren, don't get used to Eames covering for you." He left.

Alex walked out, and Bobby followed. "Look," he said, "you don't need to do my paperwork. I can take care of it."

She shrugged. "You've had a lot on your plate lately."

His brow furrowed for the second time that day. "I can take care of it."

"Well, just as long as Ross doesn't feel the need to intervene anymore."

"So what if he does?" Bobby asked, raising his voice. "It's not like you ever get the heat for it. He never gets mad at you."

A look of shock appeared on Eames's face. This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go at all. "Look, Bobby, I–"

"Don't worry about it!" Now he was yelling.

Alex was stunned at upset, and slowly that turned to anger. "Fine," she replied, grabbing a sweat jacket. "I'm going for a walk."

"Eames," he groaned, regretting his words and mentally hitting himself. He took a few steps after her, but the elevator doors were already closing.

Scowling, he grabbed her keys and jogged to the elevator doors.

She walked among the streets a little, trying to calm herself down. With all the good qualities of bobby, there were some bad ones as well. Funny, she thought, how he could sense emotion from anyone besides the people he was close to. He must have had her ever move figured out in the beginning of their partnership.

He cared for her. That was clear. And she cared for him. It was a fact. But it still didn't change their stubborn dispositions.

A familiar black SUV slowed next to her. Instinctively, she reached for her gun, but paused when she realized it was Bobby. Scowling, Alex picked up her pace.

"Eames," he called out the passenger window. "Come on, get in the car."

Alex kept walking, making bobby more frustrated. He pulled the car up to her, and she snickered inwardly. One of the greater joys in life was seeing Bobby Goren frustrated.

"Hey," he said, breaking her thoughts. "I'm sorry. Now can we talk?"

Eames hesitated. Talking was different. Yes, she would talk. Silently, she gracefully lifted herself into the SUV.

She stayed quiet until she figured out that they were not heading towards 1PP. "There a reason you're not taking me back to work?"

"Ross saw you leave and told me to take you home." He quickly smiled at her. "He saw you leave. Said the case wasn't going to get solved if we were fighting."

She snorted. "Not really. I could still work with you if I was mad. This isn't middle school."

"That's what I was thinking." He stole a glance. "But I wasn't going to turn down a day off."

"Well, even if we don't have to sit in One Police Plaza, this case still needs to be solved," Eames said, unlocking the door. It hadn't been orally confirmed that Bobby would come in her apartment, but he followed her in anyway.

The room was in complete disarray. "What the–" But before she could get out the last word, someone who had been hiding punched Bobby in the gut and another grabbed Alex. Bobby rebounded from the hit and punched the guy in the head, but an even bigger man put him in a headlock and pulled a gun. Desperately, Bobby reached for his gun, but horrific reality set in when he realized he left it at 1PP. When he saw the fearful look in his eyes, he knew she had left hers as well. The two detectives were strong and could take on a couple of goons, but as more emerged, Bobby knew they were outnumbered at least five to two.

"You and your partner," the man who was holding a gun to Bobby's side and who had him in a headlock snarled," are going to drop your phones here on the floor, and then slowly walk to your car and get in the backseat. You say anything or do not follow those directions," he gestured towards Alex, and the grip of the man holding her tightened, "and she dies."

There was nothing to do but listen. Wordlessly with their hands in the air, their phones were lied down. Slowly, the detectives made their way outside at gunpoint.

Note: I see this as a three part story. I've got most of the second chapter written, but it still needs to be typed. Should I even bother? All feedback is good, please .


	2. Kidnapping

Author's Note: I'm really sorry about that last post… It may seem a little confusing. / Like I said, I was half asleep. And thanks about all the reviews… I swear I'll get back to you all.

Also, I should also explain that Megan Wheeler and Mike Logan appear in this one, and I wrote it that she was new. I don't know why. Humor me please?

_**There was nothing to do but listen. Silently with their hands in the air, their phones were lied down. Slowly, the detectives made their way outside at gunpoint. **_

They sat, side by side in the backseat and watched the gang split up, two in the front of the vehicle, and three into another. Wordlessly, Eames slipped her hand into Bobby's. He held onto it tightly. She was shaking.

Their kidnapper was a surprisingly good driver. No one spoke and an eerie silence engulfed the car, until Alex's phone rang.

The dark-haired man in the passenger seat tossed the phone at her, and held a gun to her head. "Answer it," he snarled.

It was Ross. "Are you two coming back to 1PP today?"

"N-no, I don't think so." She gulped, wondering how she could discreetly let the captain know that she and her partner were being abducted.

"Did you two at least make up yet?"

"Uh…" She looked at Bobby nervously, and the man upfront jabbed the gun to her temple harder. For the first time, she got a good look at him. He was dark skinned and haired, kind of like a scruffy Enrique Inglesias. He couldn't have been more than twenty. "Yeah, we did."

"Is he there? Can I talk to him?"

"Sure, Captain, he's here." She handed the phone to Bobby with complete confidence that he could successfully send a subtle message, and the dark-haired man put the gun to Bobby's head.

"Goren." Pause. "Er, I'm not sure if we will." Leave it to Bobby to keep a cool head after everything that had just happened. "Alright, bye." He hung up and leaned in close to Eames. "SVU is taking over the Natalia case." Of course he was worried about the case, because after one was opened, his heart and soul was poured into it.

"Shut up!" Enrique Inglesias look alike shouted. "Give me the phone!"

Calmly, Bobby handed over the phone. The man glared for another moment and Bobby just stared back. As soon as he turned back around, Alex grabbed Bobby's hand again. He squeezed it reassuringly.

Danny Ross put down the phone. Something in Eames's voice left him unsettled. Lord knew the woman could more than take care of herself. But it also wasn't like her to hesitate on the phone.

Goren's voice, however, was normal. Normal, Ross contemplated, for anyone besides Goren. Something about the conversation was also unsettling. It didn't reflect the way he was usually amused by Eames's anger. Of course, he would never let Alex know that, not if he knew what was good for him. But Ross knew, he knew that he was secretly entertained by his partner's exasperation. He only knew the two for a short amount of time, but Christ if Eames didn't remind him of his own ex-wife.

He called Mike Logan and Megan Wheeler into his office.

"Yes, Captain?"

"I want you to check Alex Eames's apartment." He scribbled down an address, knowing that Alex would most likely have his head for this. "Bobby Goren should be there, too. Just make sure they're alright."

Mike pondered for a second, but did what he was told. He grinned at his new partner. "Come on, Freckles," he told her. "I'll show you how it's done."

Wheeler rolled her eyes and wondered what she did to get partnered with such an unbearable man.

Bobby Goren did not recognize where they were being taken to. They had been riding in the car for at least two hours now, and he knew he was somewhere in Jersey. But by now they had to be in South Jersey, and the road signs might as well have in Greek (a language that he, for the record, did not know, save for a few word roots).

Alex calmed down considerably. Not one of them had spoken since they left New York, but the mere presence of her cleared his head. He had imagined hundreds scenarios of how he would get them out. He also was curious about who their kidnappers where, but then, logic set in. Together, they'd put away nearly 200 criminals. Of course, there were people who wanted vengeance.

Alex let out a sigh, breaking Bobby from his thoughts. What would her father think, Bobby wondered ruefully, when he found out that his daughter had been kidnapped for the second time, possibly both due to her partner?

Alex Eames was one of those rare people whom stress looked good on. A strand of her golden hair fell delicately in front of her eyes, and Bobby realized that her eyes were closed and she'd fallen asleep.

Slowly, he swept the bang away. Almost smirking, he recalled all the people who had hit on her in their line of work. Most of the time, that was the aim. But, of course, there was the time that drunken business owner was being dragged into the station among hordes of people. "Why don't you be with a real man?" he'd slurred, reaching to touch her. She could more than take care of herself against the average pervert like him, but it angered Bobby. Furiously, he had slammed him against the wall, and Eames aided him in cuffing the creep. It was times like these that worried him about his feelings. Of course, one could argue that it was just his over protectiveness over creeps like him, and that was part of it, but Bobby knew there was more to it than just that. It was about Eames, his Eames – No, he cursed himself as he studied the sleeping figure. He had to stop referring to her as his. She would never be his. There was too much at stake to risk.

"Alex?" Megan tentatively called from outside the door. "Goren?" There was no answer.

Mike came up from behind her. "Eames? Goren? If we come in, we're not going to catch you doing anything embarrassing, are we?" He smirked at Wheeler. Obviously, he wasn't worried.

"We're coming in," Megan called, applying pressure to the door and peeking inside. She gasped.

The room was a mess. Books and trash were strewn everywhere. She took a gun and charged in.

Logan did the same and explored all the rooms. There was no one.

"Captain?" Wheeler was on the phone. "They're gone, looks to be taken by force."

Mike watched as she closed the phone. "They're putting all of NYPD on it." He nodded.

"We'd better get back to 1PP."

The car was coming to a stop. Gently, Bobby shook Alex awake. To her surprise, they were in a suburb. Admittedly, it was a run-down neighborhood. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere called Deptford, South Jersey."

"Get out," the captor snarled, thrusting the gun into the small of Alex's back. And the two detectives were forced into the house.

The other vehicle holding the other three kidnappers did not appear to be in sight. Alex had been around these two enough to guess that they seemed a little trigger-happy, so she was not reluctant to follow their directions.

Feedback please? One more chapter to go, I just have to finish writing it.


	3. Rescues

So… Lennie Briscoe appears in this one, and yes, I know technically Jerry Orbach has passed.. but I love him so much. Also, Detectives Green, Stabler, Bensen, Fin, and Munch make an appearance.. I think that covers it. Dr. Huang might be referenced, I can't remember. Also, I told you originally three parts… I lied. There's an epilogue with all the good BA stuff that's almost done being written. It's also in present tense, which I'm not really experienced in, but hey, what better practice, right? Expect it sometime next week. Now, on with the chapter!

-x-

Eames led the way into a crappy living room, or what used to be one, at least. She took a seat where the man indicated, holding onto Bobby.

Seemingly out of nowhere, more men appeared with tape and rope. Alex's heart sped up dangerously. They harshly grabbed her from the middle, ripping her hand out of Bobby's. Furiously, her hands were bound behind her back, and a length of rope was stretched across her mouth, preventing her from talking. She stole a desperate glance at Bobby, who needed four men to restrain him. Meanwhile, she was being forced into a chair and chained to it. It took some more force and time, but they managed to do the same to Bobby. Satisfied, the men left, double locking the windows and door as they did.

At first, the kidnappers seemed professional. They cornered the two at the apartment, and the chains around them seemed impossible to get out of. But it was clear that the ropes on their mouths were too loose when the detectives managed to get them off within minutes.

"It was harder last time," Alex joked, making a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, because tension was not her thing, not something she can necessarily deal with.

But Bobby stayed quiet. "They rope was too loose on purpose," he muttered, shaking, trying to test the chains. "These are impossible to loosen."

"Well, why would they care if we talked or not?" Alex inquired, working at getting her hands free.

Bobby's eyes scanned the room quickly, looking for an explanation. There was a small black chip a few feet away.

"They, uh, they're listening to us, with that microphone," he murmured. "So they can hear us if we talk about something important."

"Or if we talk escape routes," Eames remarked.

"Right. And the ropes were there–"

"To make us think they didn't know we talked. Makes sense, Bobby, but they've just heard everything we just said."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter." There had to be a way out, he thought. There always was.

-x-

Captain Ross threw on a jacket as he ran out of the elevator and grabbed a cab to Eames's apartment. Kidnapped, he thought dejectedly. These two detectives, the ones with the highest solve rate, how could it be?

Doesn't matter, he told himself, watching more detectives and cops fill up many cars. Stabler and Bensen were excellent cops, and they dealt with this sort of thing all the time, they were part of the SVU, for Christ's sake. And Detectives Briscoe and Green were on it, too. There was no doubt that NYPD's best detectives would be fine.

But then why was he having trouble believing it?

-x-

Three hours had gone by and no one come back to where Goren and Eames were.

"You know," Bobby said suddenly, "I really am. Sorry. About Before."

She shrugged, or as much as she could when she was chained to a chair. A loud sound could be heard as the chains banged together. "I overreacted."

He shook his head. "I want to thank you," he stated, his eyes bearing into his. "For everything."

She smiled, but then realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "No," she said. "Do not say your goodbyes. All of the NYPD are probably out looking for us."

He smiled sadly. "We told Ross we weren't coming back today. By the time we don't come into work tomorrow, it's going to be too late. You've seen just as well as I have that they don't care if we live or die. You can't tell me that you haven't realized that this is an attempt to get back at the NYPD."

The idea that someone just wanted to show the NYPD that they could murder two major case detectives and get away with it occurred to Alex, but she'd ignored it, insisting on staying positive. "Someone… could have called me or you…"

He sighed. "We're in some town in South Jersey. We're not going to be found, Eames."

She shook her head violently, making a loud clanking noise. "No, sorry, I won't think like that. Bobby, you know how passionate Elliot Stabler is about finding people. And Munch is borderline genius, and I'll bet you they have Lennie Briscoe to find us…"

And because Bobby couldn't break her spirit much more, he nodded. "Maybe you're right."

-x-

"Witnesses say they saw Eames's black SUV pull away from the building at about one," Logan said to Ross, reading from his yellow notepad. "And there appears to be boot prints with dirt on it, leading two feet inside, which we suspect to be Goren's, because the pattern suggests there was a struggle near the door. The dirt seems to have been fresh about two and a half hours ago."

Ross ran a hand through his unruly hair, exasperated. There were no leads as to where the kidnappers had taken the detectives.

"Captain," Detective Stabler shouted from about ten yards away. "Come have a look at this!"

-x-

It was very dark out, Alex observed. She couldn't tell much by the window, seeing as the blinds were closed, and there were only slits visible. The room was depressingly dark and she was left alone with only her thoughts, which were slowly going from optimistic to desperate despair. Her entire body was hurting from the chains that seemed to have tightened. The one around her neck kept her from speaking and yelling for help as she was earlier. Her voice was raspy, but she ran out of things to say anyway. Scratchily, she managed to get a couple of words out. "What time do you think it is?"

Bobby cleared his throat. "About 12:30 in the morning." His voice was equally scratchy and beat up, and by the sounds of it, he was in pain too.

"How do you know?" Her voice resembled that of an old man's.

"Not the first time I've been restrained without water for a long period of time," and damn him, he was smiling, even though there wasn't anything to smile about. But his playful grin chased away Alex's worries and fears, if only for a moment. And she was able to return it, closing her eyes and lying her head back.

-x-

Cpt. Ross was the one driving the cop car that was dangerously weaving through traffic. Of course, being as it was nearly three a.m. and the only ones on the road were most likely drunk, it made it that much more hazardous. But it didn't matter. Detectives Briscoe and Stabler had together found a message among the litter, and taken it to Fin and Munch to see if they could figure out the code.

"It's a lymphus code," Munch had explained, and at one point, there were over twenty people sitting in front of the whiteboard, trying to decipher it. Eventually, though, the code was cracked.

"You've got 'til they die of dehydration." It was among some trash on the street, it was a wonder it was found. Less than an hour later, Eames's black SUV was reported seen somewhere in Central New Jersey, and Green and Briscoe were sent to check it out. Twenty minutes after that, it was spotted in the Deptford Mall parking lot. Everyone had gone then, save for a couple people left to wait for any anonymous tips.

Trying to pass a particularly slow Chevy Impala, Ross quickly tried to recall how long a human could go without water.

-x-

I'm going to die of thirst, Eames realized as another hour crawled by. She tried to remember if she drank anything before going to work. No, she mused. She had been running late. No coffee, either, she had been trying to stop depending on it. She tried to think back longer, but she was rapidly becoming dizzy. Was this connected to how she smoked as a teenager? She couldn't remember. Any minute now, I'll see my life flash, she thought wryly.

And then, she was being untied and literally thrown on a stretcher. First she thought wildly that it was Bobby picking her up, but when she opened her eyes, she saw it was Elliot Stabler carrying her bridal style. An IV was being put into her. She tried to say "thanks", but nothing came out. He noticed. "Don't mention it."

-x-

"Captain Ross," Fin said, approaching him. "There was another code on the front door. It doesn't follow the lymph."

They were in the hospital, waiting to be let in the hospital rooms. There were nine of them.

"Officer," a nurse said, coming up to the group of them, "you can see them now."

-x-

Bobby and Alex were put in the same room. They didn't look too great, but at least they were completely conscious.

"Detective Goren," Elliot said, sitting in a chair between them. "Glad to see you're looking better. And you too, Detective Eames. When we found you, you seemed to think I was your partner."

Alex could feel her face getting red. Did she really say Bobby's name out loud? His smirk let her know that he was enjoying teasing her.

Fin chuckled. "Detective, this was found of the door where you were kept. It's in code. Do you think you can decipher it?"

Bobby took the paper and gestured for a pen. He quickly worked it out, swiftly making changes to it until he had a finished product. "It's a variation of the lymph code." Munch nudged Fin, smirking. "It says 'Congratulations, NYPD. Looking forward to playing again.'"

AN: Feedback makes me happy!


	4. Epilouge

Man, I'm just about two weeks late, right? Sorry about that. I couldn't get a chance to type this up. Like I said before, this is present tense, and I've never written anything as long as this in that tense. So it would be much appreciated if you could tell me how I did! And this is the last one, I swear. Thanks for reading!

-x-

It's been six weeks since the kidnapping, and Alex and Bobby have not returned to work yet. He visits her, she visits him. They've been keeping up their partnership, their friendship.

She's at his door now, its late afternoon. She's all he has, but she has more, much more. She's got a sister and brothers and a mom and a dad, but she still chooses to be with him, and he's not complaining. He's made dinner and he tells her so. She's smiling, and oh God, he loves it when she smiles. I should cook more often, he thinks. 

Dinner comes and goes. Bobby is a profiler, but he can't seem to figure out his tiny, sarcastic partner who could tell him to jump off a bridge and it's likely he would. But it looks like she liked dinner, so he's pleased. And now she's trying to do the dishes, but he's saying no, let him be a gentleman for once, chivalry isn't dead. She's rolling her eyes, but he can't help but think that she appreciates it. 

"I brought a movie," she says, getting a DVD out of her bag. He's never heard of it, but he's happy just to watch it with her. 

She put it one and now she's sitting next to him, touching him slightly. His heart speeds up.

It's a comedy, something for him to laugh at, a romantic comedy. She seems to like it, so it's fine with him. 

After a while, the doorbell rings. He moves to get it, but she's faster, so she answers it. 

"No one's there," she informs him, and he's content, until it rings again and she wastes no time getting up. But this time he follows her. She glares at him sternly, but doesn't say anything. 

There's no one there again, but this time they can see a figure running away. "Stupid kids," she says, but she can see just as well as Bobby that the figure was at least twice the size of any normal kid, and his protective side takes over.

"You didn't have to come with me," she says as she makes her way back to the couch. 

"I wanted to see who was there," Bobby defends, but she knows that's not the reason he followed. 

"I can take care of myself," Alex continues, and it's like déj� vu all over again. 

"Let's not fight, please," he practically begs, and he expects yelling, and more fights. He waits for when she walks out on him again, because he's finally pushed her too far. It was just a matter of time before she quit on him, spent time with someone who could appreciate her right. It's in his personality to press and press, and now, Eames is going to leave. 

But she doesn't. "Bobby," she says quietly, softly. "You didn't get us out of that house in Deptford, and you couldn't protect me. Bobby," her tone is softer, gentler, "there was nothing you could do."

His mind is spinning, he's trying to process all of it, but she's going on. "You're a good guy, Bobby. It's not your fault."

He wants to run, he wants to yell. He wants to kiss her. 

"I know it's your nature to withdraw, but I told you before, and I'm telling you now. I'm not going anywhere." Her hands are on his chest, calming him, and his breath is becoming uneven. She's whispering now, and it's driving him insane. "I've invested way too much time and energy, and I'm not going to just quit." 

And then, Bobby stops thinking. He's always thinking, always has been, and now, he's bringing his head down to his partner's. On complete impulse, he's pressing his lips to hers. His arms are going to her hips, bringing her closer. She's putting her arms around his neck, and this pushes him further, he's picking her up easily, and he's bringing her to his bedroom.

Never, ever, in a million years can he see being able to kiss her, to be with her. It's practically a dream come true, and he can't imagine doing this with anyone, or at least enjoying it as much.

He's laying her on the bed now, right before getting on himself. They lie on their sides, facing each other. Slowly, as gently as he can, he moves some stray strands on fair out of her face and she kisses him. He returns it, moving his hand in a circular motion on the small of her back. She runs her hands over his jaw line, feeling the prickly hairs that started the making of a beard. 

He sighs and keeps exploring her mouth, loving her taste. It makes sense that Alex doesn't taste like vanilla or berries or anything like that. She tastes like Alex, something delicious and intoxicating, mixed in with the faint hint of skittles. 

He could devour her. She's not pushing him, he observes. She's going as far as he'll go, letting him take the lead, set the pace. He wants nothing more than to be with her, to be able to call her _his_. But he stops, painstakingly so. 

He means to ask "Should I stop?" but those aren't the words that come out. "What are we doing?" he inquires. 

She takes his head in her hands, and he swears his heart has stopped. She looks in his eyes, straight on, and with raw honesty, she says, "I love you, Bobby. I want to do it all, with you, and no one else, but I don't want to rush into anything."

He's almost shaking. He wants to take her _right now_, to kiss ever inch of her body, to divulge himself in the wonderland of Alex's body. And he's about to, but she stops him. "Are you sure you want to do this now? I'm not a one night stand, Bobby. You have to take _me_, all of me. Is that what you want?"

He imagines a scenario where they're sitting, having breakfast together. _That's_ what he's wanted, wanted more than anything physical. He wants to spend time with her, only her, every spare minute. 

"You, Alex," he tells her, trying to sound as perfect as possible. "Just you, for you to be there for me, so I can hold you whenever I wan. You, that's what I want."

She smiles. "Good," she says, straddling him. "Because I didn't want to stop."

His heart has stopped. No, he realizes, it's beating so head that it feels like it's stopped. 

-x-

Everything's quiet now. Its early morning, and Bobby can practically hear the birds chirping. He looks down at his naked chest, and sees scars left from the chains. He briefly wonders where his kidnappers were, what they were doing. They hadn't been caught, even with the descriptions given to the artist. ("A scruffy Enrique Inglesias," Eames had insisted, making the room chuckle, until they were silenced with one of her infamous glares.) He considers for a moment that had it not been for them, it's likely that his small, tough, beautiful partner would not be lying next to him at that moment. 

He strokes her hair, and she doesn't look very feminine now, the way she's on her stomach, her mouth slightly open, hair going everywhere, but to him, she looks perfect. He kisses her on the forehead, gently, because she's a light sleeper. Her eyes flutter open anyway, and she's confused at first, can't seem to remember what happened last night, but then she sees Bobby, and she remembers, and he wants to take a picture of her expression, because it's so heartwarming that it brings a smile to his face.

"Hey, you," and she sits up next to him.

"Eames," he says and she smirks because after everything he still calls her by her last name. "I love you. And if I couldn't have you to depend on in the last month and a half, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be alive right now."

She touches him, puts her hand on his shoulder, because the contact is comforting. "Last night, you told me that you wanted me to be there for you," she tells him. "But I always have been." She kisses him on the cheek. 

"I've got to be completely honest here," he says, and his arm snakes around her waist. "When we were first partnered together, I had a huge crush on you."

Alex giggles, _giggles_ for God's sake. "That's so cute."

Bobby blushes. "How are we going to tell people?"

"Well, Elliot Stabler will never stop teasing me," she says thoughtfully. 

"And Mike Logan may not ever lease us alone about it," Bobby adds. 

"Plus, there's the possibility that Ross will separate us when we get back," Alex reminds him. 

"So maybe we should keep this quiet, at least for a little while," Bobby finishes, his heart dropping a little. 

"Yeah," Alex agrees, and they are silent for a moment, content with being in each other's arms. 

"I don't think I can act completely professional around you," Bobby suddenly bursts out. Alex looks at him, surprised, and a little amused. "I mean not when we're interviewing a witness or interrogating a suspect or anything," he continues. "But when we're doing desk work, someone will notice me looking at you too long, and Mike Logan will figure it out, and then he'll tell Ross."

Alex tries not to laugh, but is having trouble with it. "Let's tell him, then," she resolves. He's still a little worried, but she rests against him, and he's comforted. And in a companionable silence, they relax. 

"We could threaten him with his relationship with our ME," Alex says suddenly. Bobby is startled. 

"What are you talking about?"

"They're dating. Haven't you noticed?"

No, he hadn't. All of his thoughts were Alex, work, food, sleep, and Alex in the past year or so. 

"Yeah I believe that if they can be together, we can too."

Bobby smiles. He doesn't care, just as long as he can have as many moments like this as possible. He holds Alex closer to him, and there is another comfortable silence. 

"You're still worrying about Elliot Stabler, aren't you?" he guesses after a while. 

"It's just, he acts like a teenager sometimes!" Alex complains, and Bobby laughs a little. They would be okay, he thinks. This will work. 

-x-

I really like the idea of Alex and Stabler being friends, because I love him so much. Anyway, it's been fun, and please, tell me what you think!


End file.
